Big earthquake in Japan

[JohnBraden]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

It is a serious thing, but I still do not think that it is anywhere close to the level of Chernobyl. I also think that the media will not agree, as all they`re going to look at is the number scale.
A 7 is a "Major release of radio­active ­material with widespread health and environmental effects r­equiring implementation of planned and extended ­countermeasures"
There is a whole lot of leeway in there. Chernobyl went to the extreme. Fukushima has not.

That makes sense.... Btw, I had stopped looking at the sensationalist news from my country regarding these events a while ago and if something happens to hit my gaze from the networks here, there isn't a grain of salt large enough with which I can take it. (Not that I'm supposed to take much salt, according to my cardiologist)

[termogard]

Good questions of JohnBraden and Nyororin : they has jumped from 5 to 7, why?

According to current kyodo newsflash :
News Advisory : Radiation leak may exceed amount in Chernobyl accident : TEPCO (12 :09)

[JBaymore]

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msnbc.com news services

TOKYO — The Japanese government's nuclear safety agency raised the crisis level of the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant accident from 5 to 7, the worst on the international scale and on par with the Chernobyl accident 25 years ago.

The emission of radioactive substances from the stricken plant is about 10 percent of the amount that had been detected at Chernobyl, the agency said on Tuesday.

Kyodo news agency said the government agency estimated the amount of radioactive material released from the reactors in Fukushima, northern Japan, reached a maximum of 10,000 terabequerels per hour at one point for several hours, which would classify the incident as a major accident according to the International Nuclear and Radiological Event Scale (INES).

The rating reflects the initial severity of the crisis not the current situation which has seen radiation levels drop dramatically.
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[Nyororin]

[quote=termogard;861175]Good questions of JohnBraden and Nyororin : they has jumped from 5 to 7, why?[quote]

I checked and answered this in my original post -
"No, wait, I figured it out - they`ve combined the individual reactor events into a single event, knocking the number up. The individual reactors are still considered to be 5s - but more than one has pushed it up to 7."

[termogard]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

I checked and answered this in my original post -
"No, wait, I figured it out - they`ve combined the individual reactor events into a single event, knocking the number up. The individual reactors are still considered to be 5s - but more than one has pushed it up to 7."

Okay, regardless of reasons or methods of their calculation, 7 is 7.

[termogard]

An interesting survey :

Apart from the magnitude of the earthquake and resultant tsunami, one of the key reasons for devastation is Japan's land character. Almost 70 percent of the country's land is covered by mountains, which leaves a very narrow coastal belt. The devastation of tsunami was found to be the largest in two types of land areas. The first is areas with a narrow opening to the sea, like that of Taro in Miyako town. The other is areas of vast, flat lands, like Rikuzentakata (in Iwate prefecture) or Watari, Yamamoto-cho (in Miyagi prefecture).

Taro is famous for its tsunami prevention measures. The town was affected by the 1896 tsunami (known as the Meiji Sanriku earthquake and tsunami), which killed more than 22,000 people. The town lost most of its population in that disaster. In 1933, the town was again hit by another devastating tsunami, following a decision by the town leader to construct a mega dyke to protect its people. The dyke was built in several phases, becoming a 10 meter-by-2.5 kilometer long structure. The latest tsunami wave overflowed this dyke and damaged some areas, but would have been more devastating without the dyke. The importance of infrastructure-based disaster prevention can be highlighted here.

In Kamaishi, Iwate prefecture, an eight-story tsunami evacuation building stood undamaged very close to the shoreline. On the hazard map, distributed by the city government, this building was designated and marked as an evacuation building with clear instruction that people need to evacuate higher than the fourth floor. What is more interesting is that, on March 3 (also the day of the 1933 Showa Sanriku earthquake and tsunami) an evacuation drill was performed with local residents and school children. Therefore, tsunami awareness was rather fresh in their minds and people took shelter in evacuation buildings and on a nearby evacuation road (a pre-designated road on the nearby mountain with access stairs), immediately when they felt the earthquake. This shows the importance of evacuation drills and disaster education.

In contrast, in Rikuzentakata, where there was rather vast land in the coastal area, the tsunami wave entered as far as 4 km inland, caused extensive damage to the local government building, and made it non-operational in the immediate rescue relief phase. A distinct difference in the post-disaster operation can be observed in the cities where the local government office was not affected due to its location on higher ground. In Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture, or in Iwanuma, Yamamoto-cho, in Miyagi Prefecture, the local governments already started their preparations for the short- and medium-term recovery phase, including construction of temporary shelter. In contrast, in Minamisanriku, where the three-story disaster management office was also destroyed, the relief phase has been prolonged.

For early warning systems to be effective, a proper risk communication mechanism, which links both information provider and receiver, is needed. In the March 11 disaster, the tsunami warning and tsunami advisory were issued within three minutes after the event.

The warning was broadcast though the Japan Meteorological Agency webpage, television, radio, social networking media, and also through announcements from the town and city offices. However, in several places, initially, people underestimated the height and severity of tsunami, and started evacuating after the first wave had arrived. What makes people take immediate action for evacuation? An easy-to-understand early warning (with information on potential tsunami height), evacuation orders and repeated evacuation drills make a difference. In some cases, people had a ''feel safe'' misperception, where neighbors' and children's roles became important.

What is an ideal tsunami prevention measure? There is possibly not a single formula applicable to every place. It needs to be customized based on local geographic and topographic conditions. A combination of early warning systems, infrastructure measures like coastal dykes, tsunami evacuation centers, and awareness and education campaigns including evacuation drills and disaster education is required.

Rest of article

[GoNative]

A 7 does not make it anywhere near a Chernobyl event though. So stop the sensationalist BS.

[RickOShay]

Originally Posted by GoNative

A 7 does not make it anywhere near a Chernobyl event though. So stop the sensationalist BS.

I totally agree. I knew once I heard that, people would be out and about again making things sound bigger than they really are. All this is a reassessment of radiation levels that are already there, and have been reported about the entire time. Nothing new and catastrophic is happening. Calm down the world is not going to explode just yet.

[termogard]

Originally Posted by GoNative

A 7 does not make it anywhere near a Chernobyl event though. So stop the sensationalist BS.

quote :

Japan raised the severity level of the ongoing emergency at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant on Tuesday from level 5 to the maximum 7 on an international scale, recognizing that the tsunami-caused accident matches the world's worst nuclear catastrophe in 1986 at Chernobyl.

The nuclear regulatory agency under the industry ministry and the Nuclear Safety Commission of Japan, a government panel, said that between 370,000 and 630,000 terabecquerels of radioactive materials have been emitted into the air from the Nos. 1 to 3 reactors of the plant.

Level 7 accidents on the International Nuclear Event Scale correspond to the release into the external environment of radioactive materials equal to more than tens of thousands of terabecquerels of radioactive iodine 131. One terabecquerel equals 1 trillion becquerels.

Kyodo News

And your opinion that " 7 does not make it anywhere near a Chernobyl event" is just an opinion. Sorry.

[RickOShay]

Originally Posted by termogard

Okay, regardless of reasons or methods of their calculation, 7 is 7.

All that Chernobyl and Fukushima have in common is that number now.. 7. The actual radiation levels and containment of the situation are still light years apart. Fukushima and Chernobyl are still not comparable. Only sensationalists are using that comparison to shamelessly draw more attention to their stories. It is really getting despicable, and I really wish they could all take the place of the many children who were washed away in the tsunami.